A Strong Start
by kitfoxpup
Summary: Dexter is a famous billionaire 15 year old making technology far beyond Earth's original capacity. Just how did he meet the Powerpuff Girls? Did he know that it would change his life forever, in a good way? Did he know that he was meeting what would one day be his adoptive family? Based off of Lightning Bird's AU ideas. Similar in concept but still my own AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hey guys! I know, this is like the third one I've started recently, but it's finished. Well, I think it's finished, but heaven knows if it ACTUALLY is; I haven't edited it. You're getting the raw edition, and considering how Diseased is (re-read it the other day and holy CRAP it's bad), I'm sure this one is in a similar condition. Let me know if you see any weird discrepancies or errors, or if anything doesn't make sense. If it's an awkward ending let me know, and I'll be sure to zero in on it and make it better ^_^

Basically, this is a short story that is a prelude to two that I have planned, one of which is... Definitely coming along. I don't know if it's almost done; I don't actually know where I'm going with it anymore. Originally it was... Well, you'll see.

**Disclaimer:** I do not work for nor do I have rights to anything that has come from Cartoon Network OR- in the case of Mr. Hanekoma, who for some reason is becoming a teacher in all of my stories- who is from The World Ends With You. I'm just making them do things that I feel sort of constitutes their characters.

A Strong Start

Chapter 1

Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup squirmed nervously in their seats, trying to keep quiet. Professor Utonium- well used to the fact that the silence meant that they were trying hard not to say something- waited for the inevitable outburst.

It seems that the sweetest of the three could hold it in only just less so than her sisters.

"Professor," Bubbles said, her girlish voice raising with undisguised nerves. "What if they don't like us?" Her pigtails bounced, and she was pulling on her blue uniform dress in nerves.

"And who couldn't possibly like you?" The professor said, smiling into the mirror at his beloved daughters. His reflection in the mirror seemed to calm their squirming a little, though not entirely.

"The kids at school, Professor," Blossom piped up, trying to sound calm and collected- though her bright pink eyes betrayed her worry. "What if all the first graders don't like us?"

"I know what I'll do," boyish Buttercup grumbled, her arms crossed and held tightly under her face. "I'll kick their butts!"'

"Please try to refrain from doing that Buttercup," Utonium said sternly, his gray eyes glinting as he looked at his most rebellious daughter in the mirror. It was a red light, and he could afford the few seconds it took to stare down the six year old. Her green eyes looked to his, and with a furrowed brow, she looked back down, mumbling something under her breath.

"What was that?" Bubbles asked innocently, turning her bright blue eyes on her sister.

"I said I won't do nothin'," the girl in green said stubbornly.

"Good," Professor Utonium said, though not without a degree of affection. As troublesome as Buttercup could be, he wouldn't have had her any other way.

"So what should we do?" Blossom pressed, anxious. Professor Utonium sighed. It was a question he'd heard all Summer, as the girls neared the first day of first grade. A whole new school, teacher, and life awaited them, and they were terrified stiff. There would be twice as many students- if not three times- in their classes than when they'd been in pre-school and kindergarten with Miss Keane, and the change was unsettling. They'd asked to drive past Pokey Elementary at least a dozen times a day, and each time they stared with wide-eyes uncertainty at the school as Utonium drove past, hardly able to say no to his daughters.

"IF the other kids don't like you- and that's a big if," Utonium added, "because you girls are impossible to like. But IF the other kids don't like you, then you have to make them like you."

"How do we do that?" Bubbles asked, puzzled.

"Do we beat 'em up?" Buttercup asked, looking far too hopeful.

"No," Professor Utonium said, in a tone that implied she had better not even entertain the idea. She hushed up quickly enough. "You be nice to them."

"But… What if they're mean to us?" Bubbles squeaked, her voice rising in terror.

"You keep on being nice," the Professor said, smiling fondly at his smallest daughter. He saw the street sign as he passed it, and knew that the school was coming up. If the girls were nervous now, as soon as it came into view they would be hysterical.

"Kill them with kindness?" Blossom offered, always the thinker.

"Exactly," the Professor said, nodding approvingly. "You have to be as kind to the other kids as they are being mean. The meaner they are, the kinder you have to be. Remember the Rowdyruff Boys?"

"We have to KISS them?" Bubbles squealed.

"No no," Utonium back-pedaled. "But you did have to do something nice in order to beat them, once and for all."

"I see what you mean," Blossom said, and Buttercup rolled her eyes.

"Whatever you say, Professor," she said. "I just hope you're right."

The school suddenly slid into view, and all three girls strained against their seatbelts, trying hard not to break them. Their eyes had grown wide as baseballs, and they watched as the wide range of kids of all ages walked around the field. Many were laughing with friends, though quite a few looked a little lonely.

"Professor," Bubbles whimpered, and he turned to give each of the three little girls that he adored more than anything a kiss on the head. Even Buttercup seemed to want one, which she usually pretended the opposite.

"Go and get em, girls," Professor Utonium said fondly. He had no worry at all that the girls would do well, and while he was worried for Bubbles on the basis that she cried far too easily, he knew that in the end, Buttercup would always come to her rescue. While he would say quite the opposite, he secretly hoped that Buttercup would teach any kid who harmed the sweetest and most sensitive of the three girls a lesson they would never forget.

First Bubbles, than Blossom and finally Buttercup stepped out of the car, each nervous and cautious. Bubbles immediately grabbed Blossom's hand, who grabbed Buttercup's, who surprised both of them by not letting go.

"Remember girls," Blossom said diplomatically, as they walked slowly away from the Professor's car, quite unaware that he was watching them as anxiously as they were walking into the school. "Kill them with kindness."

"How about we just kill them?" Buttercup grumbled, and Bubbles shook her head, her pigtails swinging.

"The professor wouldn't want us to!" She said quietly.

A kid around their age suddenly ran up, and the girls froze as if facing an armed robber.

"Hey!" He said, his brown eyes wide. "Are you the Powerpuff Girls?"

Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup each looked at each other in surprise, quite forgetting, in their moment of terror, that all of Townsville was to be counted on to recognize them on the spot.

"Yeah," Buttercup said, looking at the boy suspiciously. "Who's asking?"

"My name's Brian," the kid said, looking extremely excited. "We're planning on playing tag before school starts. Wanna join in?"

Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup each exchanged relieved glances.

"Sure," Blossom answered. "We'd love to!"

"You can't ask them to play," another voice piped up. It was whiny and high pitched, and they saw a very fat, angry child waddle up to them. He had pudgy eyes and a pout that could curdle milk, and there were stains all over his clothing. Bubbles made an "eep" sound and covered her mouth with her hands.

"Why?" Brian demanded, turning around to face the new kid. He had deep brown hair and eyes.

"Because they're just gonna cheat and use their super powers," the kid sneered. "Why would they wanna be normal when they're so much BETTER than the rest of us?"

To the alarm of the three sisters, Brian turned to look sceptically at them.

"We don't use our powers in school," Blossom explained hurriedly. "There's no need to."

"Unless someone needs to be taught a lesson," Buttercup said darkly, staring at the new kid. He just sneered at her.

"You won't cheat?" Brian said, looking at them suspiciously. "You are really fast."

"Where would the fun be in that?" Bubbles said, smiling at him. "There's no fun in a game that's over in like, ten seconds!"

Mollified, Brian nodded, smiling again.

"I suppose that makes sense. Come on! I'll go introduce you to my friends." With a pointed look at the other kid that clearly said that he was not considered one of Brian's friends, the boy led the three sisters to the main part of the field where a bunch of other kids were waiting.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was when the first bell finally rang that Bubbles first saw him. A small boy, shorter than even her, was seated against the school building reading an impossibly thick tome. He had blazing orange hair, thick glasses, wore a white lab coat (which she recognized on account of it being the Professor's constant choice in attire), and had purple gloves.

While Bubbles was looking curiously at the strange boy, she didn't see another girl approach her from behind.

"What're you looking at?"

Bubbles jumped, turning to see another blonde-haired girl looking curiously at her. She had to be at least a year, maybe two years older than Bubbles, and she was wearing a pink ballerina outfit. She had bright blue eyes.

"That boy looks so lonely," Bubbles explained, turning back in time to see that the boy had gotten up and was heading into the school with the other students. Bubbles noticed that no one made an effort to talk to him; some of the students even seemed to be purposefully pretending he either didn't exist, or he was contagious with some horrible disease.

"That's Dexter," the blonde haired girl said. She seemed to have an idea, and with a bright smile she said, "why don't you talk to him?"

"Maybe I will," Bubbles said softly to herself. "Being lonely is the worst."

When she got to her classroom, Bubbles was delighted to see that the orange haired boy was there. She wasn't excited about the fact that he was sitting at the front of the class- Bubbles was terrified of having a spotlight put on her- but she was determined to help this lonely boy. Professor Utonium's words were echoing in her head, and she decided that even if he hadn't spoken to her, she would still be as nice to him as possible.

Fortunately, she noticed that Blossom was sitting two seats away from Dexter. Unfortunately, there was a huge rift between the boy and the rest of the class; on either side of him, the seats were deliberately left empty. Clearly he was not a popular boy.

Swallowing her fear of the spotlight, Bubbles carefully walked toward Dexter, chickened out, didn't say hello, and plopped into the seat between Dexter and Blossom. The boy turned to look at her, his eyes wide and suspicious, before turning his head back to the front of the classroom, somewhat contemptuously.

"Bubbles," Blossom whispered, and the small girl turned to look at her redhaired sister. "Brian says you're not supposed to sit next to that boy," she whispered urgently.

"Why?" Bubbles asked, pouting.

"Because-" And here, Blossom's intelligence ran out. She blinked before turning back to Brian, who was sitting at the end of the row with Buttercup seated behind him. There was intense whisperin between the three of them before Blossom turned back toward Bubbles.

"It isn't cool," Blossom said, before realizing how stupid that sounded. Bubbles huffed at her sister and turned back to the front of the classroom.

Their teacher was standing at the front of the classroom, though unbeknownst to them he was paying attention to the little drama displaying itself before him. The man- a thin, scruffy man with black hair, black vest and dark pants- was pretending to look through a book while watching the children before him over his glasses. He had been worried about the red haired boy who'd come in, sullen and silent, as all the other kids automatically ignored him. He had been a little alarmed when the students left the seats around him empty, but his fears were mollified a little when the little girl in the blue dress came and sat beside him. When he adjusted his glasses, he belatedly realized that that had to be Bubbles from the Powerpuff Girls.

"Good morning class," he said, a few moments after the bell rang. The hum of talking silenced quickly. "I am Mr. Hanekoma. You may call me Mr. H, if you like." He turned to draw something on the chalk board behind him, covering it with his body so that the students couldn't see.

"What is this?" He finally asked, stepping back from the board.

"Ooooo!" The girl he'd identified as Bubbles shot her hand into the air, blue eyes wide with excitement.

"Yes?" He said, nodding to her.

"That's a birdie!" She squealed in delight.

"Very good," Hanekoma said, smiling. "Does anyone know why birds sing?" The students looked around at each other; even Bubbles seemed a little thrown.

"Because it makes them happy?" She asked, looking as if she didn't know, but would very much like to.

"Don't forget to raise your hand," Hanekoma said, not unkindly, and with a squeak Bubbles clapped her hand over her mouth.

The boy with the red hair raised his hand after another few seconds.

"Yes?" Hanekoma said, nodding to the boy.

"Scientists have recorded that birds generally sing to attract mates," he said, and Hanekoma blinked in surprise. The boy had a very heavy russian accent, and the three Powerpuff Girls were each staring at him in utter shock, disbelief, and curiosity. It appeared, though, that the boy wasn't done. "Some birds have fewer songs that they can choose from to sing, but some birds have as many as 2000 distinct songs that they can perform to attract attention. In North America we often hear the male birds singing alone because those birds tend to be the ones to defend their territories, but in such places as South America or the Tropics, there are birds who sing duets and work together."

"Very… Good," Hanekoma said, feeling a little thrown. Gathering himself, he was in time to see some very disgusted looks from some of the students- including the green powerpuff girl- and a few murmured words like "nerd" and "geek" and even "show off". The boy remained aloof and pretended not to hear. Hanekoma was a little pleased to see that Bubbles, at least, looked positively impressed and even eager to talk to the boy more.

"That was excellent," Hanekoma said, gathering himself. "The reason I ask is because birds are everywhere. Birds are all around us, and we know their songs as well as wel know our voices, even if we can't name their species." He walked forward, picking up a folder with the attendance papers in it. "Birds are very dependant on each other. They work together," he added, when some of the kids still seemed confused. "Just like we are going to learn."

"We're going to learn to be birds?" Bubbles asked in confusion, and Hanekoma chuckled.

"Not quite, hun. We're going to learn to work together; this class is going to be a flock, a group, a family. We are going to learn teamwork and friendship."

"Sounds corny," he heard Buttercup say.

"Corny is corny for a reason," Hanekoma pointed out before opening a folder. "It's worked for hundreds of years and people have always depended on it, so we're going to keep on trying to work it. Now, I'm going to call attendance; please say here when I call your name."

* * *

By the time recess rolled around, Hanekoma had the students pinned. Blossom was intelligent and seemed to be a little wiser beyond her very few years. Buttercup was probably going to be trouble, though her sisters seemed capable of putting a cap on her rebelliousness. Bubbles was just all around sweet and adorable, and many of the students seemed to warm up to her automatically. She had a true love for animals, and participated even when she didn't know the answer to many of Hanekoma's questions.

The boy sitting stoically and silently beside her was a marvel in and of itself. His name was Dexter, and he was obviously a genius; Hanekoma had no doubt about it. He only answered when no one else was getting the question- a chivalrous act lost on the other students, who simply saw his intelligence as showing off- and he was always correct. He even gave more of an answer than Mr. Hanekoma was looking for. If he asked what a color was, Dexter was able to not only give him the color's name but also the general makeup and how much of its "parent colors" it took to get that color.

His intelligence, however, was his undoing. Mr. Hanekoma watched warily as Dexter walked outside, Bubbles trailing shyly after him, probably trying to figure out how to start a discussion with him. Blossom and Buttercup were too busy talking with their new friend Brian to notice that their sister was trying hard to enter the "geek zone" and befriend the outcast student. He resolved to watch the students from the window, the better to jump in should trouble start.

Bubbles followed Dexter all the way to the wall that he had sat against earlier, when he had been reading from his very large book. She was trying so very hard to think of something to ask him, and decided that he had certainly known a lot about birds, so he must know a lot about other animals. She didn't know that Dexter was quite aware of her following him, and was just waiting for her to spit out whatever it was that was on her mind.

"Um," Bubbles said finally, and Dexter- who had been reading and staring very pointedly at his book and not at Bubbles- slowly looked up.

"Yes?" He asked, his voice devoid of inflection or emotion.

"You sure knew a lot about birds," she said nervously, scratching her shoe against the concrete shyly. Dexter blinked in surprise and waited for her to continue. Bubbles turned her award-winning puppy dog eyes on Dexter and asked him, "Do you know about other animals too?"

"Weeeeell," Dexter said slowly, taken aback by the question. "That… depends, I suppose. What kind of animals?"

Taking that as an invitation, Bubbles eagerly sat beside him and pulled her backpack from her shoulders, pulling one of her most favorite books from it. It was a picture book her father had gotten her, one that will filled with pictures of all kinds of animals.

"How about any of these?" She asked. As she was flipping through the pages, trying to find one she could ask him about, a picture of a wolf appeared, and Bubbles squeaked in fright.

"You are afraid of wolves?" Dexter asked, still sounding wary.

"They're so scary," Bubbles whimpered, staring at the page and too spell bound by the snarling wolf to turn away. "They look so mean!"

"On the contrary," Dexter said, leaning over to take the picture book from her. "This isn't a very kind portrayal of the wolf."

"What?"

"The picture doesn't make the wolf look very nice," Dexter tried again.

"Oh… So it is nice?" Bubbles found that she very much enjoyed listening to Dexter's lilting accent. It was so bizzarely foreign- though it wasn't as strange as Mojo Jojo's of course- and she was beginning to really like listening to it.

"Well… I wouldn't say that." Dexter pushed his glasses up along the bridge of his nose. "Wolves are wild animals, trained to protect themselves. They're very familial animals though."

"Familial?"

"They love their family very much. When the alpha female- the ah, boss female wolf- has puppies, all of the wolves rejoice and celebrate and treat them as their own. They're fiercely loyal to each other, and they're very lonely creatures. The reason that they howl is so that they can find each other, and they sometimes howl together just for the fun of it."

"Really?" Bubbles asked, completely intrigued. Dexter seemed surprised by her willingness to listen to him rambel.

"Yes," he said, unsure of what else to say.

"Wow," Bubbles said, looking back at the picture book. "I had no idea. I thought the looked mean."

"Does your book have any other pictures of wolves in it?" Dexter asked.

"I don't know- I didn't look for any," she confessed. Dexter reached over and helped her flip through her book.

"My name is Bubbles," she said shyly.

"I am Dexter," the boy replied, seeming keen on her book. They might have found some pictures, but a sudden shadow fell over the book, and they looked up to seen Buttercup standing in front of them. Blossom was standing a few feet away, watching curiously with some of the other kids.

"Bubbles," Buttercup said, glaring at Dexter, "come on. You're hanging out with a nerd."

"He's telling me about animals," Bubbles said defensively, pouting at her sister. Dexter, seemingly able to sense danger, leaned away from Bubbles and put his own book down, watching the two sisters pensively.

"Oh please," Buttercup snorted. "I can tell you about animals. Now come on, let's go play with the cool kids."

"I don't want to," Bubbles said, leaning away when Buttercup tried to grab her hand. "I want to learn about wolves. Dexter says they aren't mean.

"Of course they are!" Buttercup snorted. "They're supposed to be mean!"

Dexter wisely chose not to correct her.

"You just don't wanna learn," Bubbles huffed. "I do. I made a friend. Leave him alone and stop making fun of him!"

"Or what?" Buttercup said, leaning in close to Bubbles' face. "You'll cry?"

Unfortunately, that was exactly what Bubbles was probably going to do, and to prove that point her big blue eyes began to water. Buttercup, sensing what was happening, immediately backpedaled.

"Wait," she said, waving her hands. "I- I was just kidding. You can play with him," she said awkwardly, as Bubbles eyes continued watering.

"Say y-you're so-sorry," Bubbles sniffed, and Buttercup groaned.

"Bubbles-"

"You were m-m-m-mean," Bubbles sniffed, and a single tear ran down her cheek.

Dexter watched curiously as Buttercup started to panic.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" She said, though she didn't look at Dexter when she said it.

"Thank you," Bubbles said, willing to accept that. No more tears fell, and Buttercup- throwing her hands in the air exasperatedly- stomped back toward the other kids.

"If they start picking on you, it's not my fault," Buttercup shouted back, and Bubbles blinked at her sister's retreating back.

"She's right you know," Dexter said quietly, and Bubbles turned to look at the boy sitting beside her. "You don't want to sit with me. They'll just pick on you."

"Let them," Bubbles said bravely. "I need to learn to be stronger anyway, like Buttercup and Blossom."

Dexter tilted his head curiously at the names, but he seemed to disregard whatever notion he was thinking of. Bubbles had no idea that he wasn't very well-connected with the world, and that he had only a vague recollection of who the Powerpuff Girls were.

"You called me your friend," Dexter said quietly, and Bubbles blinked at him in confusion.

"Aren't we friends?" She said, looking at him questioningly.

"Do you want to be?" The boy seemed surprised, and it made his russian accent even thicker.

"I would very much like to be!" Bubbles said, smiling at him.

"Then we are friends," Dexter said, and he was surprised at how vehemently he said it. He supposed he truly was excited to finally have a friend.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **I was totally sure that there was 5 chapters to this story, but I guess it ended up only being 3, haha. Hope you guys enjoyed!

Chapter 3

When recess was over, Dexter went ahead of Bubbles to get to the classroom. He seemed edgy and antsy, and looked like he wanted to get out of the playground. Bubbles spent a little extra time making sure her crayons and her drawing paper was all in order; she didn't want them to get creased edges. When she looked up, she was no longer alone.

The fat, pudgy boy from earlier in the morning was standing in front of her with two other boys, equally as ugly and mean looking. Bubbles, sensing that these kids were probably as mean as they looked, hesitated as she faced them.

"Hi," she said, but the boy interrupted her.

"Shut up," he snapped, and Bubbles gasped.

"That's not very nice," she whimpered, but he just laughed at her.

"What are you doing hanging out with Dorkster?" the boy sneered. "Don't you know he's a NERD?"

"So?" Bubbles countered, trying very hard to be brave. "Just 'cause he's smarter than you?"

"He's smarter than you too," the boy countered, though it looked physically painful for him to admit that Dexter was smarter than him. "He's just gonna dump you when you can't keep up with him."

"Nu uh," Bubbles countered. "He's my friend, and you're not allowed to make fun of him anymore!"

"Or what?" the boy taunted. "You're gonna cry? You're such a crybaby. So stupid and useless!"

It was beginning to be a little too much, and Bubbles' resolve was wavering.

"Stop it," she whimpered. Professor Utonium told the girls that they were not allowed to use their super powers in school… She had to stay calm and figure this out like all the other kids. She was not allowed to show off… She was not allowed to cry…

"You're so stupid," the boy said again, gloating now that he realized he was probably going to make her cry. "If you keep hanging out with him, I'll make sure you get teased too! You're a freak. A super freak! You're weird and ugly and stupid-"

A rock suddenly hit him in the head, and the three kids turned to see none-other than Dexter standing there, books on the floor and a few rocks in his fists. He looked utterly terrified at having thrown a rock at the pudgy boy, but he kept at it nonetheless and threw another rock at the kid. Unfortunately he struck home, which only served to make him madder.

"What do you think you're DOING?" The boy shouted, rubbing the now swollen left side of his face.

"Leave her alone," Dexter said awkwardly. His size and demeanor did not help his situation, and even his accent went against him in helping him sound intimidating. No one noticed that Bubbles seemed to be fighting herself, at least inwardly.

"You're such a GEEK!" the pudgy kid roared, and it took everything Dexter had not to turn and run. She had tried to stand up for him, so he had to try to. Besides- if he backed off when a girl didn't, he'd never hear the end of it, especially from his sister.

"You're an insipid and underevolved Hominoidea Liberalus!" Dexter shot back, knowing full well that no one present save for himself would know what that meant.

"Oh my God you're stupid," one of the boys said. Dexter snorted, putting on a show of bravado.

"I do believe I am the only one who knows what I just said," he said, managing to sound horribly pompous. "And you call me stupid? Pathetic."

"AGH!" the pudgy boy said, shouting, but just as he was about to rush Dexter, the other two powerpuff girls- who'd come running when neither Bubbles nor Dexter had come to class- appeared around the corner. They instantly took in the situation, but unlike the kids standing around Bubbles, they also happened to notice her losing battle within her.

"Bubbles!" Blossom shouted, and realizing that it was futile, she turned to Dexter. "Cover your ears, Dexter!"

"What?" He said, backing away from the newly-advancing bullies.

"COVER YOUR EARS!" Buttercup and Blossom shouted, and when he turned around, both girls were covering their ears. He immediately plugged his own ears with his purple gloved hands.

"YOU'RE SO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAN!" Bubbles suddenly wailed, and Dexter pressed even harder against his ears. The three bullies shouted in pain, hitting the ground like sacks of flour. Blossom and Buttercup- able to withstand the piercing wail of their smallest sister- ran forward to get to her, but the wailing girl didn't notice.

"WHY WOULD YOU BE SO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAN?!" Bubbles wailed, and her voice raised in pitch to the point that they kids could hear the sound of breaking glass and kids shouting in alarm.

"Bubbles!" Buttercup said, reaching her sister first. "Bubbles, stop! You're breaking the windows!"

"BUT THEY ARE SO MEAN TO DEXTERRRRRRRRR!" Bubbles sobbed, still wailing.

"Crying isn't going to help, Bubbles!" Blossom tried, but Bubbles just cried harder.

"THEY CALLED ME UGLY!" Bubbles wailed.

"Oh, if they're not dead after this I'm going to kill them," Buttercup said through gritted teeth. "Everyone knows you don't make Bubbles cry!"

Dexter was suddenly knealing in front of Bubbles, his hands clamped firmly on his ears.

"Bubbles," he gasped, his russian accent tilted slightly in pain, "I'm okay! Really! I'm used to it! You can stop crying- I don't cry when they say those things to me!"

"BUUUUUUUUUUUUT-" To the shock of Blossom and Buttercup, Bubble's wail subsided every so slightly.

"You said you wanted to try and become stronger," Dexter gasped. "It takes someone very strong to cry- but it takes even more strength to stop crying!"

Bubbles suddenly sniffled once, and her wailing completely stopped, right there. Blossom, Buttercup, and Dexter experimentally removed their hands, afraid that maybe their ear drums had broken or something. Bubbles sat before them, sniffling hard at Dexter.

"It takes strength to c-cry?" She said, looking at him with watery eyes.

"I'm afraid to cry," he said hurriedly, eager to soothe her (and stop the wailing pain). "I couldn't cry if I wanted to."

"Really?" Bubbles asked, blinking away her tears. Blossom and Buttercup let out relieved sighs and turned to Dexter in undisguised admiration.

"Really," Dexter said, and he offered her his hand to help her stand up. "There are a great many people in this world who will tell you that great strength comes from knowing when to stop crying. I think you're very brave to let your emotions show in front of other people." Bubbles sniffled up at Dexter, smiling a watery smile and accepting the boy's hand up. Feeling awkward, Dexter finally said, "Let's... go back to class. Mr. Hanekoma must be worried sick… Especially with all of the windows broken. Some one ought to come by and clean these three up." He gestured in the general direction of the completely inert bullies, knocked out by the sheer shock and power of Bubbles' wail.

"Okay," Bubbles sniffled, and she grabbed her backpack and started walking ahead of them. "I'll go ahead and let Mr. Ha... Hano... Mr. H know what happened," she said, after a few tries at the Japanese teacher's name. She stared at the bullies for a moment before sticking her tongue out, and then walked around the wall and back toward the class.

"That was some wail," Dexter said to himself, and he was surprised when Blossom answered.

"It's great when we're fighting bad guys," she said in amusement.

"That's who you are," he said suddenly. "You're the powerpuff girls!"

"You mean… You didn't know?" Buttercup sounded genuinely surprised.

"I don't get out much," Dexter shrugged. "We… We thought that was why you were hanging out with Bubbles," Blossom said awkwardly. "We thought you were just going to make her protect you. We heard you weren't very nice."

"She came to me and asked me intelligent questions," Dexter said, sounding insulted. "She offered to be my friend. She's the only one who's ever been interested in trying."

"I guess you're right," Blossom said, sounding ashamed. "Dexter- would you like to come over after school? You might like to meet the Professor," she added, sounding like she actually wanted Dexter to come over. "Bubbles would love it too, I'm sure."

"No one's smarter than the Professor," Buttercup scoffed. "After all, he made us."

"Well…" Dexter said, hesitating.

"Let us apologize for our rudeness," Blossom said, smiling at him. She found that she really actually liked his accent. "We weren't any better than the bullies."

"Whatever…" Buttercup said, crossing her arms. She wouldn't look at Dexter, and when the boy continued to hesitate, she groaned. "Dude, just come over. We'll make you food and… Play video games and… Stuff."

Realizing that that was as good as an apology from the green powerpuff girl, Dexter nodded.

"I suppose I can come over, if you really want me to," he said awkwardly. "And you say that you're father is a… A scientist?"

"One of the best," Blossom said proudly. "And he's an amazing father."

"Won't you need to ask your parents?" Buttercup said, uncrossing her arms now that her moment of embarrassment was over.

"Oh please," Dexter snorted, with no attempt at hiding his bitterness. "They won't even notice that I'm not home."

Buttercup and Blossom exchanged glances filled with disbelief. How could parents not worry about their kid?

"Blossom?! Buttercup?! Dexter?!"

The three kids looked up in alarm to hear Bubbles' frightened wail from somewhere in the school.

"She's probably panicking," Buttercup sighed.

"By the way," Blossom said, as they all started running to get to the classroom, "that was really cool, how you calmed Bubbles down like that."

Dexter couldn't believe it. He'd had no belief at all that he would make any friends, and yet here he was… With friends almost stranger than he was.

"I suppose so," he said, realizing what it meant to be able to calm the girl down.

Halfway across the field, Mr. Hanekoma stood in front of one of the broken windows, watching in relief and delight as the very intelligent boy ran with the other two powerpuffs back to class. He had assumed the worst had happened, and had told the teachers that there were probably some students lying passed out near where Bubbles and Dexter had been. He was just glad that the boy wouldn't be alone.

Lord knows he had to deal with enough introverted jerk-face kids. He didn't need another child to grow up into one, because chances were with his luck that he'd somehow end up with them.

**A/N: **I haven't had a chance to change the status, but I changed my mind- I will be adding a few more chapters. I'll probably write them all out tonight and then upload them one by one ^_^


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **So here is chapter 4. Expect at least 10, if not 11 in total for this story. Which is hilarious, considering it was originally supposed to be like, 3 chapters. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Cartoon Network or Fusionfall. If I did, that game would have been programmed WAAAAAAAAAAY better.

Chapter 4

The rest of the school day went much smoother. The three super sisters had very quickly cleaned up the mess that Bubbles's scream had caused, including any shards that had been lodged in or on other students. It was over rather quickly, and school was allowed to return to normal.

In class, the three sisters- now watching their new friend with intense curiosity- noticed quick quickly that Dexter only answered the teacher's questions whenever none of the other students knew it, and he often explained his answers in such a way that if they paid enough attention, they could have learned quite a bit from him. Mr. Hanekoma was delighted to see that they were working together now, although many of the other students seemed to become quite sullen and possibly even jealous of the attentions that Dexter was receiving from the Powerpuff Girls, which worried Hanekoma. He had no small worry about Dexter's intellect as well; Dexter couldn't be learning anything from this very elementary setting.

Blossom and Buttercup seemed intent to make up for their earlier transgressions, and eagerly tried to invite both Dexter and Bubbles into a game of hide and seek during lunch. When Dexter declined, saying he was not very good at physical activities, Bubbles hastily agreed, saying she'd rather stay with Dexter. His earlier comment that she was strong seemed to have made her fiercely determined to live up to the compliment, and she seemed intent on proving herself to the redhaired boy. Blossom and Buttercup hesitated before shrugging and joining Dexter and Bubbles, telling the other students that they'd join in later.

Dexter immediately picked up on some trouble that Buttercup was having with the concept of money, and how it worked.

"I don't get how the whole thing works," Buttercup was complaining, looking at the math homework Mr. Hanekoma had assigned them just before lunch. "Why is a quarter twenty five cents?"

"Because it is a quarter of a dollar," Dexter explained patiently. Buttercup just stared at him, and he reconsidered his explanation. "How many quarters do you need to buy a snickers candy bar from a machine?" Dexter finally asked.

"That's easy," Buttercup scoffed, while her sisters listened in interest. "Four!"

"Do you know why?" Dexter asked calmly.

"Because a snickers bar is a dollar," Buttercup said without missing a beat. "Four quarters is a dollar."

"So if four quarters is a dollar," Dexter continued, "what would you call one quarter pulled away from those four?"

"One out of four," Buttercup answered, clearly not realizing what she was saying.

"Or… One fourth?" Dexter said, smiling. There was a moment of stunned silence before Buttercup's eyes widened in euphoric understanding.

"Whoa," Blossom said, looking at Bubbles with wide eyes. "The Professor can't even explain math to Buttercup."

"He's going to be so excited!" Bubbles squealed, missing Blossom's uncomfortable expression. She had a strange feeling in her stomach, watching Buttercup jumping up and down in excitement at the prospect of understanding something. Was it because Dexter had managed to get Buttercup to understand… And not Blossom?

"Oh MAN," Buttercup was saying, pawing through her homework eagerly. "I can TOTALLY understand all of this now."

"Just pretend you're trying to buy sweets or books with whatever money the questions are asking you," Dexter told her. Buttercup looked at him, her face registering disgust.

"Books?" She snorted.

"Do you read comics?" Dexter asked, frowning at her lack of taste for something so amazing as literature.

"Duh," Buttercup replied, rolling her eyes.

"Then pretend you're trying to buy some of your favorites."

"Oh!" Buttercup gasped, and she looked at her homework eagerly. "I can't WAIT to do my homework tonight."

Bubbles and Blossom stared in absolute shock at their most Scholastically-rebellious sister, and after a moment, Buttercup realized what she'd said. She screwed up her face and stared accusingly at Dexter.

"You're contagious," she muttered, and Bubbles started giggling. Dexter smiled.

"Dexter!" They all looked up to see a very tall girl approaching. Bubbles recognized her as the girl from before she'd decided to become friends with Dexter.

"DeeDee," Dexter said, frowning. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking on my little brother," the pinkly clad girl giggled. Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup blinked in surprise. The girl had absolutely no accent.

"Er," Buttercup said, frowning as she walked up to DeeDee. "How come you don't have an-"

"Any of my friends with me?" DeeDee said quickly.

"No, you don't have-"

"Ah, because they… They're over there!" DeeDee said quickly, waving a hand at Buttercup. The tomboyish girl looked like she hadn't caught on yet, and Blossom hurriedly came over and elbowed her sister hard before she could say anything. Dexter watched suspiciously.

"Hey Dexter!" Bubbles interjected suddenly. "What can you tell me about puppies? What are the cutest kinds?"

"Well," Dexter said, momentarily distracted. "That depends on what you mean by 'cute'. Do you mean the most well-behaved, or the best in physical appearances?"

This distracted, DeeDee turned to Blossom and Buttercup.

"Thanks for hanging out with my brother," she said softly, smiling at them.

"No problem," Buttercup said smugly. "But why DON'T you have an accent?"

"I wouldn't mention it around Dexter," DeeDee said, rolling her eyes. "He doesn't know he has one. If you ask him, he'll just stare at you."

"You must really know your brother," Blossom commented.

"Of course," DeeDee said, blinking. "He's my brother."

"Dexter might be coming over tonight," Blossom said slowly. "When I said he should tell his parents, he didn't look like he wanted to."

"Ah…" DeeDee rubbed her arm, looking over at Dexter and watching as he animatedly explained the differences between Dalmations and Chihuahuas to Bubbles, who looked completely enraptured. "That's… I mean… I'll tell them," she said awkwardly. Blossom looked ready to try and question the girl further, and DeeDee shook her head. "It's not a big deal," the pink girl said. She glanced over her shoulder. "I gotta go. Take care of him, okay?"

Blossom and Buttercup watched curiously as DeeDee ran off without looking at them. She'd seemed awfully eager to get away from the conversation, Blossom thought to herself.

When the bell at the end of lunch rang, the four kids looked up in surprise. Buttercup had finally decided that she couldn't wait any longer to try and tackle her homework, and she'd started it during lunch. Bubbles had started trying to draw all of them, and Blossom had tried to challenge Dexter at how much he really knew. Dexter, unfortunately, didn't notice, and proceeded to trump her at every question and turn. Buttercup, however, in a burst of sudden clarity, did in fact notice her sister's growing envy of Dexter's intellect and smirked. Blossom was used to being the smartest of them, and she was clearly upset at being replaced.

"I didn't realize lunch was going by so quickly," Bubbles said, looking up in surprise as the bell rang. She cleaned up her stuff quickly and followed her sisters and friend back to class. Dexter seemed much happier than when she'd first seen him this morning.

They filed into class, and Mr. Hanekoma started them on the English portion of the day. Blossom seemed rapidfire eager to answer all of his questions, and Dexter never moved to correct her, something Buttercup found herself noticing. Hanekoma noticed as well, but he wasn't sure to what it could entail. Most of the other students seemed intimidated by Blossom's sudden desire to answer the questions and wisely didn't say anything about it.

When the school day finally let out, Mr. Hanekoma watched closely as the children left. He was relieved to see that Dexter was planning on going to the Powerpuffs' home, and would therefore not be walking home alone. Which, of course, was a perfect target for bullies. Thus mollified, he let his thoughts drift and sat back in his chair to relax, and paid no more attention to the children in his class.

Professor Utonium was waiting right outside the front of the school, where all of the kids poured out. He must have been there since early, waiting to pick his daughters up after their first day of school. He wouldn't pick them up after the first week, considering they could fly and were over course super powerful little girls, he was very consistent and fatherly during their very first week of school.

He was surprised, however, to see not just Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup running toward the car (with Blossom at the forefront), but also a small, fiery red-orange haired boy trailing in their wake. As the three girls neared, he seemed to be growing nervous, and started to fall further and further behind. Bubbles was the first to notice, and she fell back with him, taking his hand and pulling him toward the car, however nervous and unwilling.

"Professor!" Blossom said, raching the car first as Utonium rolled down the window. She leapt into the air, hovering so she could talk to him face to face. "We made a new friend today; is it okay if he comes over?"

"Well…" professor Utonium said, raising an eyebrow. "It is a school night, you know…"

"Yeah," Buttercup said, "but he's like, a brainiac. He can help us with our homework."

"Please Professor?" Bubbles said as she and their mysterious friend neared the car. The small boy was looking at the ground, looking as if he was suddenly wishing he was anywhere else.

Professor Utonium knew he couldn't say no. He sighed before smiling softly at his daughters.

"Of course he can come over," Professor Utonium said finally. "BUT!" He added, as the girls began cheering and the boy looked up in surprise, "Only if you do your homework first."

"You got it!" Buttercup said, punching the air and looking like she was about to jump into a fight. She was the first to the car door, sliding all the way down the back seat and letting first Blossom and then Bubbles slide in after her. Before the boy could feel awkward, Professor Utonium opened the front door, smiling kindly at the nervous boy.

"I'm a very safe driver," he promised. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

"I know," the boy said, and Utonium blinked in utter shock, hearing an unmistakeable Russian accent com from the child's mouth. "I trust in your driving, Professor. I'm just- I hope that I am not intruding."

Utonium blinked again. The boy spoke as if he were an adult.

"Not at all," the Professor said slowly. The child climbed into the front seat, securing his seat belt and closing the door. "What did you say your name was, son?" he asked, waiting for a lull in the passing cars so that he could pull out.

"Dexter," the boy said, overlooking the fact that he had not said his name at all. "Dexter Noormel."

"Noormel," Bubbles said from the backseat.

"Sounds like Normal," Blossom jumped in hurriedly. Utonium looked in surprise at his daughter.

"That is exactly the best way to describe my family," Dexter said, and he sounded none to pleased with this fact.

"I- I see," Professor Utonium said, unable to find a proper response. He was saved by suddenly having to pay attention when a car let him pull in front of them, and he merged with traffic.

"Hey Professor," Buttercup said, and she was practically bouncing in her seat.

"Yes Buttercup?" Utonium said absentmindedly, checking all of his mirrors.

"Dexter taught me how to do math!" His rowdiest daughter said.

Utonium almost slammed on the breaks.

"He did?" He said, sounding shocked.

"Yeah!" Buttercup said, looking quite pleased and smug at her father's reaction. "Dexter knows like, everything."

"Not everything," Dexter corrected. He turned his attention to Utonium, adjusting his glasses nervously. "Your daughters say that you are a Professor. May I inquire what your field of study is?"

"G-Genetics," Utonium said, completely thrown for a loop. "I have a doctorate in the medical fields as well, however."

"That is very impressive," Dexter said, sounding like he meant it. "I tried to apply for my degree in robotics last year, but it… Didn't go very well."

"You went to college?" Utonium said, almost aghast.

"For a few short months, yes," Dexter said simply, shrugging. Even the three girls in the backseat were completely shocked into silence. "While it was certainly intellectually stimulating, it would appear that I lack the mental maturity to handle going to college. It was decided that I should return to attending Kindergarten and wait until perhaps Middle School before I tried again."

Utonium was astounded. Surely the child was joking.

"You said you were trying for robotics?" Utonium said faintly, managing to continue to keep an eye on the road as the traffic finally thinned out.

"Yes," Dexter said, nodding without looking at the Professor. He seemed to realize that he was completely throwing the girls' father for a loop, and was also watching the road astutely in case the man missed something in his shock. "Preferably in the weaponization fields."

"Weaponized robotics," Professor Utonium said faintly. Aloud he said, "That reminds me of the Dynamo I tried to have my girls use a few years ago."

"You are the creator of the DyNaMo?" Dexter demanded, turning to stare at the Professor. "I was present for quite a few lectures that you'd given on the creation and purpose of the robot. Is there any way that I could take a look at it?"

"P-perhaps," Utonium said. He didn't think he could get any more confused or ipressed with the child, and he wasn't sure he could handle it. He quickly tried to maste control of his emotions, which were fast getting ahead of him. "Do your parents know that you will be coming to my house, Dexter?"

"My sister DeeDee will be telling them for me," Dexter said, his accent making "sister" sound like "seester". "Not that it matters; they wouldn't notice if I was gone anyway."

"They-" Utonium frowned, making a left to get out of Downtown Townsville, which was inbetween the Pokey Oaks school district and the Suburbs. "I'm sure that's not true, Dexter."

"If it will make you feel any better," Dexter said slowly, "we can call them when I reach your house. I can promise you that they won't have realized I'm gone, though."

"I'm sure that's not true," Bubbles finally piped up from the back seat. "How can your parents not care?"

"It's not that big of a deal," Dexter said, shrugging, and Utonium felt himself frowning.

"Are we home yet?" Buttercup suddenly whined. "I wanna finish my homework already, now that it makes sense!"

"Almost," Utonium said, smiling and shaking his head in wonder. BUTTERCUP wanted to do her homework? Somewhere, pigs were flying.

"I really enjoyed the English portion of our classes," Blossom piped up, and the Professor was surprised to hear almost a challenge in her voice.

"Your knowledge of contemporary literature is very impressive, Blossom," Dexter acquiesced, and Blossom blinked, leaning back in her seat in surprise.

"Thank you," she said, and the Professor saw a flash of guilt cross her features. He realized that Blossom must be feeling threatened by Dexter's intelligence.

"What would you kids like for dinner?" Professor Utonium said, looking into the mirror to look at his daughters before looking at their friend.

"Ooooo," Bubbles said, "can we have cake?"

"Not for dinner," Professor Utonium said laughing.

"What do you like to eat, Dexter?" Blossom asked diplomatically. The Professor was relieved to see that while she may be envious or jealous, she did in fact like the boy, and her attempts at being a good friend and host were battling with her jealousy.

"I… I like vegetables," Dexter stammered.

"No WAY," Buttercup gasped, her face filled with horror. "How can you like VEGETABLES? They- that's an insult to kids everywhere!"

"I just do," Dexter said, leaning against the window and looking like he would like to hide.

"Just because you don't like them doesn't mean no one likes them," Bubbles jumped in, saving the day. "You like cake, right Dexter?"

"I- sometimes," Dexter stammered again.

"Well, maybe we could have some of your vegetable and chicken soup Professor," Blossom said, once again the diplomat.

"It isn't a very cold day for soup," the Professor said, considering the bright sunny sky.

"True," Blossom said, thinking, "but it'll still be delicious, and the night will be cool enough."

"That is an excellent point," the Professor said, smiling. "While you do your homework I'll run to the market. Perhaps I'll put rice in the soup as well."

"I guess that'll work," Buttercup sniffed, clearly not too beant on the idea of veggies.

"Sounds good to me!" Bubbles said, ever eager to please.

"Agreed," Blossom said, smiling.

"Thank you," Dexter said quietly.

"Of course," Professor Utonium said, smiling.

The rest of the drive was very quiet, until they reached the Utonium household. They stepped out of the car to face the two story, modern style home, and Dexter looked in awe and appreciation at the very sleak and stylish home. There were three round windows on the second floor that looked like they probably belonged to the Powerpuff Girls.

"Welcome to our home," the Professor said, and Dexter felt a strange weight lift off of his shoulders. There were no tricks, no mean pranks. This was real.

He had friends.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N;** If you don't find Dexter's last name hilarious, then you, Mr. Invisible Reader, are a robot.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own CartoonNetwork or any of their amazing creations. Well, mostly amazing. Have you heard the voice actors in Generator Rex? "Oh noes, a meteor is like, falling. What should we... Like... Do?"

Chapter 5

The Powerpuff Grisl raced into the house, giggling and eager to show off their beautiful home. Professor Utonium let Dexter walk in front of him, realizing for the first time that the boy was wearing a white lab coat and purple gloves. He could only guess that the boy had been correct, and that he was as intelligent as he made out to be, although he wondered at the purple gloves.

When they got inside, Dexter gasped appreciatively. The house was just as sleek and modern inside as it was outside, resembling a bachelor pad more than anything, which was probably due to the lack of feminine touch around. There were a few well-placed plants around (which he noticed were fake), and there was a fireplace in the living room, which was to Dexter's right. The kitchen and dining area was attached to the living room, and a set of stairs led up to the second floor. There was another hallway leading off to what Dexter assumed was probably Professor Utonium's office, and a door that must lead to the basement.

"The bathroom is upstairs if you need it, Dexter," Professor Utonium was saying as he walked into the living room, happy to see that the girls were already pulling out their homework. "Will you be doing your homework as well?"

"He already finished it," Bubbles said, earning a surprised look from Dexter. He didn't remember telling her. "I saw you doing it," Bubbles giggled. "So did Mr. H. I'm surprised he didn't say anything," she added.

"Me too," Dexter murmured to himself. He was used to teachers being uncomfortable and often upset by Dexter's capacity for learning.

"Come sit with us anyway," Blossom called over, though her voice was a little subdued. It was enough that Dexter even noticed it, causing a small frown on his face. The Professor debated telling the boy that Blossom was just feeling jealous, but he decided not to. He wanted to see what would happen, and he would talk to Blossom about it later if nothing happened to resolve itself. He wanted his daughters to learn and to grown, and solving their problems for them wasn't going to achieve that.

Dexter moved to sit with the girls where they were crowding the living room table, placing his backpack down beside him.

"You gotta help me if I'm wrong," Buttercup demanded.

"I'll look over it for you," Dexter promised, though he didn't offer the same to Blossom.

"I can help too," Blossom said, trying to reassert herself as the smart sister.

"Dexter can do it," Buttercup said brazenly. Her face was carefully composed, and Utonium suddenly had a sneaking suspicion that she knew about Blossom's budding jealousy. Bubbles was ever oblivious to the drama unfolding before her as she pulled out her homework.

"Can you both help me?" Bubbles whined. "I think I understand it, but I want to be sure."

"Let me watch you as you do the math," Dexter said, leaning over her paper.

"Hey, what if I need help?" Buttercup demanded.

"All you have to do is ask," Dexter reminded her calmly, undaunted by the rowdiest gir's attitude. "You are very smart, and I saw you earlier. I know you understand it."

"Smart," Buttercup repeated, and Utonium couldn't help but smile. Buttercup wasn't used to being called smart.

"What about my English homework?" Bubbles said, pouting. "I don't understand how verybs work."

Dexter was about to respond, but both Dexter and Utonium saw Blossom's body stiffen. Utonium knew very well how much Blossom liked to read; she was very fond of both English and History.

"I think Blossom should help with your English homework," Dexter said awkwardly. "She's much better at explaining it, I think."

Thes shock and ensuing guilt was amusing to the Professor, and it pleased him. It seemed that he wouldn't have to step in, perhaps.

"How did you kids meet?" the Professor said, stepping forward when a silence finally fell on the children.

"Bubbles was the first one to make friends with him," Buttercup grumbled. "But then Dexter tried to save her from some bullies. Almost got his but handed to him."

"Bullies?" Utonium said, sounding alarmed. "Buttercup, you didn't-"

"Didn't have to," the green Powerpuff said triumphantly. "Bubbles started crying and broke all the windows in the school."

"Girls," Professor Utonium groaned, and Bubbles immediately went on the defensive.

"They were being mean to me and Dexter!" Bubbles said, pouting. "Besides, Dexter said it takes strength to cry, so that means I'm strong!"

Again, Professor Utonium was surprised into silence.

"It's true," Blossom said, seeing her father's reaction and surprise. "Dexter got Bubbles to stop crying." She emphasized that last part, though she didn't have to; Professor Utonium was well-aware of how difficult a task that was.

"Thank you very much, Dexter," Utonium said, meaning every word.

"She tried to stand up for me," Dexter said awkwardly. "I wouldn't be a very good friend if I just… Let them make cry." He seemed to feel like he was out of element, and Professor Utonium decided to have pity on the small boy.

"Well you girls have fun with your homework," Professor Utonium said.

"I'm going to OWN these money probems," Buttercup said, grinning dangerously. "Bring it ON math!"

"I'll be at the market," Utnoium added, heading for the door.

"Bye!" Three girls chorused together.

"Drive safely," Dexter said quietly, and Utonium left smiling.

It didn't take very long to get the ingredients for the soup. White rice, a chicken, and a large assortment of vegetables, including broccoli, carrots, and green and red peppers, as well as many others. He had paid and was on his way home in about thirty minutes, which was something of an achievement for him.

When he got home, it was to see a very awkward Dexter sitting on the couch- alone. It took one look at the hanging receiver of the emergency Powerpuff Line to know where they had gone.

"Something attacking Townsville?" the Professor said, smiling slightly. He was surprised he hadn't seen it.

"Yes," Dexter replied, sounding very awkward. "I- I should have gone home, but they said I should stay…"

"I'm glad you didn't leave," Utonium said firmly. "I want to make sure you're safe. Did you get a chance to call your parents?"

"No," Dexter said, but he sounded sullen and bitter. "I don't need to.  
"Still," the professor pushed, handing a house phone to Dexter. "Give them a call. I'm sure they're worried."

"If you insist," Dexter said, and he dialed his house phone number. He seemed to deliberate for a moment, and the Professor was surprised when Dexter put the call on speakerphone. The boy didn't offer an explanation, and Utonium didn't need one. He waited patiently as the phone rang.

"Hello?" a pretty, high-pitched girl's voice said.

"DeeDee," Dexter said into the phone, "put mom or dad on."

"Sure, Dexter," DeeDee said, sounding surprised. "I let them know where you were."

"Professor Utnoium insists that I call them and make sure," Dexter sighed.

"Ah. Sure thing. Hold on, Dexter." Utonium frowned at the sound of the girl's voice; it seemed subdued, which sounded difficult for how chirpy he had sort of been expecting it to sound.

There was a moment of silence, and the phone started rustling.

"Who is this?" a man's voice said, and Utonium's eyebrows raised into his hairline. The man somehow managed to make those words sound like something a simpleton would ask.

"It is Dexter," the boy said, and his voice was hard. "Your son."

"Oh! Hey, Dexter! I thought you were in your room," his father said, sounding chirpy and cheerful. "What are you up to?"

"I'm at my friends' house," Dexter said. "Some friends that I met at school."

"Really? That's swell," the man said. He didn't say anything else after a moment, so Dexter continued on.

"Would you like to speak with their father?" Dexter asked, his accent getting thicker as the conversation wore on.

"Nah, you're fine," his father replied, and both of Utonium's eyebrows shot into his hair in disbelief. Was this man missing some screws?

"Of course, father," Dexter said. "I'll be having dinner here. I'll be home a little late. I'll have my homework done."

"Sure you will."

"Bye, father."

There was no response. The phone clicked, leaving the dial tone.

Dexter stared in disgust at the phone before he managed to bring in his emotions again, handing the receiver back to the Professor.

"I told you," Dexter said quietly.

"That was…" Utonium struggled for words. "At least they… Know where you are."

"My father will forget within the hour," Dexter said, his voice monotone.

"Well… Your sister knows," Utonium tried again.

"Yes she does," Dexter said, and his tone changed greatly. "She will remember, should anything happen."

"Good," Utonium said, relieved. "Would you like to help me make soup?"

"Certainly," Dexter said, and he followed the Professor into the kitchen, glad for the subject change.

Over the next hour or so, Professor Utonium and Dexter worked to put the soup together, added in the broth and the chicken bits, and boiling the vegetables separately for a small while before adding them in. As the Professor was adding few spices, he accidentally knocked over the top shelf, sending a great deal more in than he had intended.

"The soup!" Dexter exclaimed, but the Professor just sighed, picking them up.

"Don't worry Dexter," the man said, smiling. "My best experiments all happen by surprise. My cooking generally goes the same way."

"What about the Powerpuff Girls?" Dexter said, cocking his head as Utonium stirred.

"Oh they are definitely a perfect example," Utonium said, laughing. "I'm not in the least upset either. If I hadn't had that accident, I wouldn't have them."

They continued talking for a little while, and then just stirred the soup in companionable silence. Part of the conversation had led to robotics and mech plating, and the Professor was instantly surprised by the boy's knowledge. Dexter even admitted to writing a great deal of scientific magazines and journals that the Professor himself had quite enjoyed, and had used as reference for his own work. Realizing just how intelligent this boy was, the Professor was beginning to be very impressed… And a little disturbed. Did his parents even know how brilliant Dexter was?

They finished the soup after just an hour, but the Powerpuffs still weren't home. Dexter watched curiously as the Professor tried his hardest not to look at the television.

"Would you like to switch to the news?" Dexter asked finally.

"Perhaps… Just to see," Utonium finally said, easily giving in. He was at the TV with the remote before Dexter could respond, and Dexter belatedly realized how worried the Professor must be. He couldn't help but feel jealous of the Powerpuff Girls.

Dexter came to join the Professor, in time to see that it was a giant gidzilla-esque monster that was attacking Townsville. There were three streaks of light tht were trying very hard to keep it from destroying too much of Townsville, while trying to take it out. The Professor sighed, and Dexter was surprised to see that he looked somewhat relieved.

"At least none of them are hurt," the Professor said, watching the news for a while. "I keep thinking that one day I'll turn on the news and… Something horrible will have happened."

"They won't let that happen," Dexter said, but Utonium just smiled sadly.

"I know. But I can't help but think that… Those are my daughters. I don't know what I'd do without them."

Dexter suddenly felt lonely and out of place. Feeling he should give the Professor a moment to watch over his daughters from the bitter safety of his home, Dexter excused himself for the bathroom.

Utonium, however, wasn't fooled, and he could tell Dexter was sad. He couldn't help but feel sad, as well, that the boy should have such feelings of loneliness and loss.

Dexter had locked himself on the bathroom and was sitting with his legs pulled up against his chest, staring miserably ad the stylish carpet on the white tile. To his surprise, two big tear drops slid down his face, and he fervently ordered himself to stop. No more tears fell, but he did not feel better; instead, he felt sadder, and he hugged his knees closer to himself, thinking of DeeDee.

His older sister had always cared for him when his parents did not. They were intimidated by the idea that their son was smarter than them, as were most people that Dexter met. It wasn't an age thing, as DeeDee had tried to say it might've been. Kids Dexter's age were just as intimidated and insulted as adults his parent's age, and Dexter was becoming weary of people in general. The only difference, of course, seemed to be the Utonium family.

Finally feeling that he'd spent long enough sitting in the bathroom, Dexter exited and returned downstairs. Utonium had not left the couch, but he had turned off the TV. He looked up and smiled when he heard Dexter coming down the stairs.

"They won't be home until late," Professor Utonium said, surprising himself at how easy the words came. "We might as well eat without them."

"Are you certain?" Dexter asked uncertainly.

"Yes," the Professor said. "Besides. I'm hungry." That brough a smile to the boy's face, which made Utonium relieved.

They ate at the table, and the Professor once again brought up robotics, inquiring into Dexter's interest.

It appeared that Dexter was very interested in furthering robotics and AI- or, Advanced Intelligence- in general. He himself had a functioning Computer that was as much a system as an assistant to him, which Utonium was very impressed in. Dexter offered to show the Professor one day, and utonium heartily agreed.

At that point, the Professor realized that he had no idea how the boy was accomplishing such things.

"I have an underground lab," Dexter explained, helping himself to a second helping of soup. He seemed to have liked it very much. "I built it myself when I was three."

"When you were-" The professor leaned back, his eyebrows raised to their highest and his hand gliding to his head. Dexter looked at him anxiously, afraid that he'd alienated the man, and Utonium realized just how much he might have worried the boy with his reaction. He shook his head and smiled faintly at Dexter. "You are a marvel," Utonium said, his words filled with emotion. "I can't believe your parents aren't as proud of you as I am, and I've only just met you."

"My parents can't grasp that I'm more intelligent than them," Dexter said bitterly. "I tried explaining that they are far wiser and mentally mature, but apparently that didn't mean much. Apparently having a genius as a son isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"I don't understand it," Utonium said impatiently. "I have daughters who can lift me and half the city as if we were a box of papers, and I couldn't be prouder."

"Some are luckier than others," Dexter said softly, and Utonium's heart broke. He hadn't meant to rub his daughters' fortune into Dexter's face; he kept forgetting that he was talking to a child.

"Dexter," Utonium started to say, but Dexter suddenly pushed away from the table, unable to meet the Professor's eyes.

"I think I shall head home for today, Professor Utonium," Dexter said sullenly. "While my parents will not be worried, I'm sure DeeDee will be. And I do have school tomorrow as well."

"Yes," Professor Utonium said, feeling very sad that he had accidentally pushed the boy away. An idea struck him. "You know, Dexter," he said, and the small boy's head turned toward him as he crossed into the living room. "You say that your parents are wiser and more mature than you… But I disagree."

"Why?" Dexter said, turning to face the man.

"It takes a great deal of wisdom to love someone who is inferior to something as superior as your intellect or my daughters' strength," Utonium said, smiling kindly at Dexter. "They could just as easily have written me off. They don't even have to technically listen to me; they could just as easily tell me no and do what they want and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it."

Dexter stared at Utonium with wide eyes.

"They only listen," Utonium continued, "because they love me, despite my weakness compared to them, and because they know I have no grudges against them for it."

"I love my parents," Dexter said softly, and his eyes were filled with pain. He blinked, and they were once again guarded.

"And that," Utonium said, standing and grabbing his keys, "takes a great deal of wisdom. Come on Dexter, I'll take you home. Promise me something though."

"Anything, Professor," Dexter immediately said, and Utonium could see that he'd made up for his accidental snub.

"Will you come over again tomorrow?" The professor smiled at the boy's astonishment. "I hadn't even showed you the DyNaMo."

"I… I would like that very much," Dexter said, and his voice was filled with emotion that he was desperately trying to hide… But that he was too young to succeed in doing.

Utonium tried not to let his distress show as he led the way to his car, quickly scribbling a note as to his whereabouts and leaving it on a table near the entrance before finally leaving the house.

How could anyone let their son feel so alone?

It seemed that, for the most part, the Noormel family could.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Sorry this is a little late. My insomnia's been killing me, and the lack of sleep is starting to slow me down. I still have a few more to upload before I run behind, so no worries.

Chapter 6

Dexter continued to visit the Utoniums for the next two weeks, coming every day after school to tutor Buttercup and Bubbles in math, while he listened appreciatively as Blossom tutored her sisters in English. If she made a mistake, Dexter would gently correct her while making it seem as if she had said it all along. Blossom- while not directly recognizing what he was doing- seemed appreciative that he had given her full reign over something, and dove into her literature studies like a man in a desert dives for water.

Buttercup attempted to return the favor one day by trying to teach Dexter to fight, though the results were disastrous. She settled for taking Dexter on a fly-through of all of Townsville, to which Dexter responded with extreme joy, and Buttercup found something they could both love.

Bubbles was constantly trying to find new animals to regail Dexter with, and she was making a notebook full of the little facts, details, and quirks of the animals Dexter did tell her about. He was a patient and understanding teacher, and despite his far larger vocabulary he somehow managed to make it possible for them to understand him.

Professor Utonium realized after the second week that Dexter was somehow helping him as well. It was one day when Dexter didn't come over, having agreed to go to his sister DeeDee's dance performance, that the Professor realized just how much the boy was helping him. The powerpuff girls had left to fight crim, and the Professor- realizing he was all alone- was met with a crushing sense of loneliness. Dexter had helped take his mind off of his fear of his daughters' safety with his presence and they're neverending discussions on all things robotic, scientific, and even laser. Dexter seemed obsessed with the idea of a laser gun that didn't reflect, and the idea that he could use light as a weapon, which Utonium later realized was a reference to Star Wars. It seemed the boy had something of an obsession for making real things out of scientific marvel or impossibilities, something Professor Utonium found endearing.

Unfortunately, all good things come to a very dark period, and it was when Professor Utonium woke up to a very silent household one Wednesday morning that he realized all was not well.

He went straight to his daughters' room and was dismayed to see that they did not look well.

Bubbles tried to push up off of her bed, but she was too weak, and her red-rimmed eyes and stuffy nose gave way to the answer.

Buttercup groaned and Blossom moaned, each shivering despite their blanket. Hurrying to the closet, the Professor grabbed a few more blankets, draping them over his daughters in worry.

"Hey girls," he said quietly.

"Professor," Blossom croaked. "We're sick."

"I can see that, Blossom. You won't be able to go to school today."

"But…" Bubbles sniffled, her voice cracking with dryness. "Dexter will be lonely."

Utonium sighed. Whenever one girl got sick, the other two were sure to follow, as they were all thicker than thieves and shared just about everything, whether they wanted to or not. He, too, was worried about Dexter, though it was for far more than his girls realized. From what they had told him, he had been able to deduce that the other students were not happy with the attention Dexter was getting from the very popular Powerpuf Girls, and his impressive intelligence was certainly not helping.

He tucked his daughters in, turned off their fan, and quietly made his way downstairs to reach the house phone, hurriedly dialing Dexter's home phone. He was relieved when DeeDee picked up.

"Hello DeeDee," Utonium said. "It's me, Professor Utonium."

"Hello Professor!" DeeDee said brightly. She'd talked to him many times before.

"Is Dexter there?"

"No, he left to meet up with the Powerpuff Girls. Is something wrong?" she asked in sudden alarm.

"My girls are sick today," Utonium said, his heart sinking into his stomach. "They won't be able to come in to school."

"Oh no," DeeDee said, her voice distressed.

"DeeDee, can you try to keep the other kids away from your brother?" Utonium asked desperately.

"Definitely," she said, but she didn't sound too sure. "I can try. Maybe he can stay in the classroom."

"That might be a good idea, DeeDee," Utonium said, sounding relieved.

"Good bye, Professor. I'll make sure Dexter knows."

Dexter had been standing outside the school, waiting for the Powerpuff Girls for ten minutes longer than he was used to, when he saw DeeDee running toward her. The expression on his face made him immediately anxious.

"Is something wrong, DeeDee?" He demanded as she approached him.

"Oh, Dexter, it's terrible," DeeDee said, sounding distressed, "Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup are sick!"

"They're… Sick?" Dexter said, uncomprehending. Could they even get sick?

"They have the flu I think," DeeDee said, looking worriedly at her brother. "They won't be coming to school for a few days."

"I… I see," Dexter said, and his worry showed on his face. "I hope that they are okay. I wonder what happens when a super hero gets sick?

"Dexter," DeeDee continued, realizing Dexter hadn't quite realized the implications of the absent Powerpuff Girls. "Maybe you should… Stay in for recess and lunch today."

"Why?" Dexter asked, confused. At just that moment, the pudgy kid from the first day of school suddenly appeared, and Dexter paled. Now he understood, and he looked at DeeDee with fear, realizing that the last few weeks had been so good because the Powerpuffs had unconsciously… Or maybe even Consciously… been shielding him from the cruelty of Elementary School children.

Without even saying anything else to DeeDee, Dexter practically ran back to class, his skin pale and clammy. Could he convince the nurse to let him go home? No, he couldn't count on his parents to come pick him up. He'd have to figure this out on his own.

Fortunately, none of the other students had any knowledge of the Powerpuff Girls' grisly situation, and Dexter made it to class completely unmolested. He hadn't realized that being friends with them could have been a dangerous idea, but he was starting to see all of the very pointed, angry looks that he'd been missing up until this point.

Mr. Hanekoma, ever vigilant, noticed something was amiss straight away. Dexter always entered the class with the three girls in tow, and Dexter's anxious expression was enough to tell him that they weren't here. The first bell rang, the students clambered into their seats, and Sanae Hanekoma felt his heart sink; no Powerpuffs.

"Hello class," Hanekoma started to say, but a student interrupted.

"Where are Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup?" the kid asked.

"Well, I'm not sure," Hanekoma started to say, but Dexter lifted his head.

"They're… Sick, Mr. Hanekoma," Dexter said quietly, and Sanae could easily detect the hint of fear even if the other kids might miss it. "They won't be here today."

"That is unfortunate." Understatement, but Sanae couldn't act like he knew something bad could happen. The darknening atmosphere of the classroom was enough to make his fears a reality, though, and he was resolved to stop it if he could.

By the time recess came, Sanae Hanekoma was definitely worried. Dexter did not answer a single question the entire time they spent learning about the scientific names for animals, something he knew Dexter knew. When the kids stood to leave for recess, Mr. Hanekoma saw a few of them linger behind, waiting for Dexter to leave, anger in their eyes. Among them was the pudgy boy who had finally returned to school, after recovering from Bubbles's super up close wail.

"Dexter," Hanekoma called, when the boy finally realized that he couldn't delay any longer. The orange haired boy snapped his head up desperately to look at the teacher.

"Yes, Mr. Hanekoma?" He said, a little too quickly.

"I need some help with some of my notes," Sanae said, grasping at straws. "Could you help me organize them?"

Dexter blinked, before nodding his head quickly.

"Yessir," Dexter said, and he dropped his backpack next to the teacher's desk, grabbing the proffered stack of papers.

"I may need you to help me out for the next few days," Hanekoma said, his voice deceptively light. Dexter glanced at him, and there was clear appreciation in his expression.

"That would be fine," he said, the relief evident.

At this point, Sanae pretended to notice the boys still lingering in the class room.

"Aren't you going to go to Recess?" H asked them pointedly. "Unless you have permission, you're not allowed to stay in the class."

"Yes sir," the pudhy boy said, his face souring as he led the group of kids out of the class.

Both Dexter and Hanekoma let out an explosive sigh.

"Was it that obvious?" Dexter said grimly.

"I hadn't been looking forward to this sort of situation, I will admit," Hanekoma admitted. He knew that Dexter was far more brilliant, and that to treat him like a child would be a very bad idea. Besides- he was used to children with airs, and one in particular who probably deserved to have airs. "You can stay a while after school, too, if you'd like."

"My sister DeeDee is supposed to walk me home," Dexter explained, and he didn't seem too bothered by that fact. "She's a pretty good fighter when she decides to turn her dancing to more… Violent tendancies."

"I can well imagine," Hanekoma said, smiling as he thought of everything he'd heard from the other teachers. "Still, I wasn't kidding about my notes. I dropped them this morning, and they're all over the place."

"Oh, they aren't anymore," Dexter said, and he placed that pack of neatly stacked papers back in front of Hanekoma. "I have already organized them."

"Oh," Sanae said, genuinely surprised. He'd forgotten how intelligent the boy was, and he noticed Dexter was fidgeting. "Is something wrong?" He finally asked.

"Well," the small boy said, his Russian accent drawing the word out. "I noticed… Some of your mathematical equations were… Incorrect."

"I knew I shouldn't have written those notes at three in the morning," Sanae sighed. "Which ones?" He asked, turning to face Dexter expectantly.

Dexter blinked at him, his glasses sliding comically down his face.

"Er… What?" He asked, blinking rapidly.

"Which ones were wrong?" Hanekoma said, gesturing to the pile. "I can't remember myself, and you seem like you have a photographic memory."

"I… I do," Dexter said, though he still seemed completely surprised. "You would trust my judgement?"

"Dexter, I know for a fact that you must be more intelligent than me even on a good day," Hanekoma said, with a barking laughter. "And my good days are the days that I have six cups of coffee. Black."

"That is disgusting," Dexter said, wrinkling his nose."

"I know. My boss won't let me drink that many very often," Hanekoma said, sighing wistfully.

"The Principal?" Dexter asked, blinking.

"Oh no," Sanae said, waving a hand flippantly. "He's a major pushover. I think he's related to the Mayor of Townsville. No, I was talking about the guy who runs the show."

Dexter frowned at his teacher's choice of words.

"Show?"

"Yeah, he's a kid like you. Kinda."

"A kid?" Dexter asked, flabberghasted, and Hanekoma winked at him.

"Don't tell anyone," he said, grinning lopsidedly. "Now why don't you help me with these notes? I'm sure the lessons'll be far more coherent with your genius and my experience. And good looks." Dexter smiled appreciatively, and scooted closer to pull Hanekoma's notes toward him.

"Well…"

This continued in this manner until Friday, during both Recess and Lunch. Sanae was deeply impressed with Dexter's learning, and equally as convinced that the kid was not learning anything in an Elementary School. Based on his lepperdom, he wasn't even learning social skills, and if that was the case, what was the point?

The powerpuffs continued to stay just as sick as day one for all of Wednesday and Thursday, though it didn't help that they still had to fight crime. Monsters didn't stop invading, even if the three superheroes were horribly sick with the flu. Fortunately, they had the help of the fire department- which was a little more dependable than the police department- and they were fortunate in not getting too shaken up. Still, it was keeping them from getting better.

Mr. Hanekoma had made calls both Wednesday and Thursday, one to the Utonium household to check up on them and give a report to the Professor- who he had quickly learned was the one to talk to about Dexter, versus Dexter's dipstick parents- and another to Dexter's household, to make sure the boy was okay. It was always his sweet sister DeeDee that answered, and Dexter had always retreated straight to his lab as soon as he'd gotten home, lonely but safe.

Unforunately, just as Lunch was about to begin on Friday, a teacher came by Sanae's room and announced that a meeting for the teachers was planned to take place during that lunch, something Hanekoma had forgotten.

"Can't it wait? You don't need me for this meeting," Sanae said impatiently, perfectly aware that because this was his first year on the job he didn't have much to contribute, nor would they listen anyway.

"No," the woman said stiffly, a thick woman with badly dyed, curly red hair and a face that resembled a pug's. "You are required at the meeting. No exceptions."

Impatiently, Sanae Hanekoma stood and went outside with the other woman, who he recognized as the secretary of the front office.

"Look, I need to stay with this kid," he said quietly. "He's going to get hurt if I don't."

"No exceptions," the woman sniffed.

"Are you serious?" Sanae said, disbelief and disgust coloring his tone. "You can't be serious."

"You MUSt be at the meeting, Sanae," she said, her lip curling. "Might I add that you do not yet have tenure? Imagine where he'd be if you weren't here at all."

Sanae narrowed his eyes. It was like this woman had a grudge against Dexter himself.

"So I should just let those kids out there bully him?" Sanae hissed.

"It builds character," the woman sniffed. "Maybe it'll teach him to stop being so sarcastic and disrespectful to his elders and peers."

She definitely had a grudge, but Sanae was not going to let her win out.

"Fine," Sanae said, turning to go into the classroom. "Let me grab my things and I'll-"

"I'll wait right here for you to lock the door," the woman sneered, and Sanae's heart sank so hard he felt it hit his feet. Dexter would have to be thrown out.

It was Hanekoma's face more than anything that explained the situation to Dexter, and while the boy understood what was happening, he still felt a sense of betrayal.

"I'm sorry Dexter," Hanekoma said quietly, pretending to gather his things. "My hands are tied."

"Are they?" Dexter asked, his voice thick with fear, and Hanekoma had to remind himself that Dexter was still a child. A brilliant one, but a child nonetheless, and he was likely unable to control his feelings or think past them with any form of clarity.

"Yes," Sanae said, trying very hard to convey just how much he didn't want to go. He was still getting the impression that he was letting Dexter down.

"I understand," Dexter said quietly, similarly packing up his things. "I will let you know how things go, Mr. Hanekoma."

"Dexter," Sanae said impatiently. "If I don't go, I could be fired!"

"That would be difficult for both of us," Dexter acquiesced, but Sanae understood that the damage was done. This was definitely a lose-lose situation.

He watched Dexter leave the class, and continued to watch him walk slowly and forlornly down the hall. He looked like a man walking to the block, having already accepted his fate.

Sanae turned to face the woman, his face livid.

"I will not forget the position you've forced on me," he said darkly, and he pushed past the startled (yet smug) woman on his way to the staff luncheon.

This goddamned meeting had better be important, or so help him, Sanae would bring Joshua in as his intern and they would ALL prefer Dexter in no time at all.

Dexter walked sullenly toward the door leading to the playground area, feeling his stomach in his feet. He had never been one for dragging his feet, as it was very uncouth, and it didn't paint a very professional image. Even so, his feet dragged and lagged, and he was not eager to go outside.

He knew he had been unfair to Mr. Hanekoma, but he had just begun to start trusting the man- him being the first teacher to be accepting and even approving of Dexter's intellect, much like the Professor and the Powerpuff Girls had been- and he was sure that Sanae could have pressed the argument with that pompous whale of a teacher.

That wasn't fair. Whales are beautiful and gracious creatures. That lady, who Dexter had had to deal with before, was in idiotic force of nature that was definitely not in any way related to a whale. He made a mental note to tell Bubbles about whales.

All of his thoughts were pushed to the back as he opened the door, and it seemed luck was not with him. Dexter stared at the pudgy kid who, as luck would have it, had been walking past the school door just as Dexter opened it.

Dexter's face paled as instantaneous as the cruel and evil grin spread across the brutish bully's face.

"Well lookee who it is," the kid said, his voice thick and slow. He turned to walk toward Dexter, who was too slow at catching the hall door as it closed. It unfortunately locked when it closed, and Dexter was instantly glad that he had left his backpack in the classroom. It would have held him down, although he was likewise furious at himself for partially dismantling the Megabot 4000.

"Well I'll be," another kid said, sneering cruelly. "It's the kid who hangs out with the Powerpuff Girls."

"You're so stoopid you can't even remember my name," Dexter snapped, and he inwardly wondered at the intelligence of saying something like that.

"What did you just call me?!" the kid snapped.

"Dumpster thinks he knows everything," the pudgy kid said.

"Oh that's creative," Dexter sneered. "Let me guess, you're going to beat me up to try and convince me not to be friends with the Powerpuffs? You're original. Excuse me while I try not to exude any exhausted yawns."

"Oh you're going to wish it was that simple when I'm done with you," the pudgy kid said, and Dexter's bravado wavered. It seemed that while this kid may not know much, he definitely knew violence.

"I do not wish," Dexter said, trying to keep up his wall of ironic defense. "Wishing is for those who do not know science."

"Well then you'd better start calculating, Dumpster, because I've been wishing for this moment to come… And here it is."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Sorry for the late update guys. I have been outrageously ill and incapable of sleep for the past week or so. This is the last chapter that I had prepared, so the rest are going to be written when I'm well enough... And when my new gunnar glasses come in. I get outrageous LCD sickness when I stare at screens for too long, which is GREAT considering I'm a programmer. It's just about the greatest thing ever. T.T

Anyway, wish me luck in my jourey to get control of my ability to sleep. I'm literally an insomniac by the way, I'm not just hashing words. When it kicks in, it sticks around and I can't... Sleep. My ability to write goes to sh*t (if it isn't there already), and... Yeah. By the way, none of these chapters are edited as of yet and I'm too terrified to check right now. They're probably crap.

**GO READ MY STORY BEN FEMM!** It has almost nothing to do with the series I'm planning and is a hilarious (long) one shot. At least, -I- think it's funny.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing. NOTHING. Cartoon Network and Square Enix own pretty much everything I reference.

Chapter 7

Sanae Hanekoma was furious. It hadn't been a meeting at all; it'd been a luncheon. When he realized exactly what the woman had duped him into leaving poor Dexter to come do, he had publicly and viciously talked down to her in front of their peers. He had expressed extreme disbelief that this woman could honestly start a feud with a child, and be so intent on letting him experience pain. He had also snapped that if anyone mentioned that bullying was an essential core of learning, he would report them all to the higher ups in an attempt to get them all fired for advertising the essence of pain, torture, and cruelty to very young and impressionable children. No one had said a thing, and it was clear that Dexter had no friends among the teachers. Furious with their inability to see a child behind that intellect, Hanekoma had rushed back to his classroom but it was too late. Dexter was gone, and he could not see any of the most violent children on the playground… Which meant for sure that they were either chasing Dexter, or that they had caught him, and Hanekoma was furiously hoping that that was not the case. If it was, he would see that they were all suspended, if not expelled.

Hanekoma paced back and forth in the classroom, staring at the floor, furious at the teachers, the children, himself- especially himself. How could he have not tried harder? He had given in so easily, and now Dexter was alone.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, and Sanae sat at his desk, carefully folding his hands. It wouldn't do any good to appear nervous.

As the class filed in, there was a very noticeable absence. The seats usually filled by Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup were of course empty, but now so was Dexter's, and the four empty seats shone like a beacon of distress. Sanae felt his fury turn to panic, and he looked over as the kids who were among the more violent as they approached. His alarm doubled as he quickly zoomed in on specks of blood on the leader's shirt, as he walked in all bravado and swagger.

Hanekoma waited until the bell rang. He waited still, staring at Dexter's empty desk, letting the kids begin to fidget as nothing happened. Five minutes passed, and one of the kids slowly raised their hand.

"Mr. H," they said in a deceptively innocent voice, "aren't we going to start class?"

"Not until I have someone explain something to me," he said, and his voice was very plainly disappointed and filled with reigned-in fury. Most of the students stiffened, but the pudgy boy- who Sanae remembered was named Michel, a boy who had once been thin but through over attention from his parents had gained far too much weight- was still leaning back in his seat smugly.

"No one wants to come forward?" Sanae said, standing slowly and deliberately.

"We don't know the question," one of the kids ventured to say.

"Oh clearly," Sanae said, disappointment coloring his voice. "Would anyone like to tell me where Dexter is?"

Silence. Mitch's face split into a wider grin.

"No one?" Sanae said, feigning shock. "That's funny. Because I see his backpack right there, at his desk. So he clearly hasn't left school."

"Maybe he realized he's out of his league with us geniuses," Mitch sneered, and a few of the students snickered.

"I want you all to sit for a moment," Sanae said quietly, and the dead serious anger in his voice kept any of the kids from responding. "I want you to think. Remember the first day of school this year, where I said we were a family?"

"Every family has its black sheep," Mitch said, but his grin faded as Sanae's eyes zeroed in on him. Sanae continued to stare unblinkingly at Mitch.

"Sheep is sheep," Sanae said darkly. "Black, white, red, or pink, they are still a sheep, and when you sheer off that wool one sheep looks exactly the same as the rest. So why don't you all tell me why you don't like Dexter?"

"He's mean," a girl suddenly piped up. "He's pretends he's so much smarter than everyone."

"Does he now," Sanae said, nodding slowly and darkly. "So he's told you he's smarter than you?"

Silence.

"Has he actually said that he's better than any of you?"

Again. Silence.

"That's what I thought," Mr. Hanekoma said quietly.

"He's always answering the questions without giving us a chance," a student said angrily. "No one's that smart!"

"So you don't like him because he's different?" Sanae snapped, and the class fell silent. "You're picking on that boy because he sounds different, looks different, is different than all of you?"

"He sounds like he thinks he's smarter than you, teach," Mitch snarled. Sanae zeroed in on him and began to walk down the aisle, slowly and very purposefully until the boy couldn't look him in the face.

"And what if he is?" Sanae said slowly.

"You don't care?" A student said, gaping.

"No," Sanae said, for once not sounding dark and furious. "I wouldn't care how smart Dexter is, because I've given him the chance to prove that he's a good kid, a good friend, and a very intelligent boy. The Powerpuff Girls saw it in him, and yet the rest of you think you all know better than them. Is that it?"

No one answered.

"So let me ask you again," Hanekoma said, gritting his teeth and staring hard and angry at the boy in front of him, who no longer looked smug and leery. "Where. Is. Dexter?"

Dexter was lying in the bushes beside the sandbox. It was a very well-secluded area, as the bushes were tall and plenty, leaving an empty space around a tree in the center, and as such no one had seen him after the bullies had dragged him into the bushes. Dexter felt tears slide down his face. They had all been right in their name calling and their anger and beating. He was a freak, his parents didn't love him, and nobody ever would. The powerpuffs probably did just pity him, as did the Professor. How could he think that the man could ever care for him?

Everything hurt. He tried to move and he coughed, flecks of blood speckling the dirt and grass. Dirt; he hated dirt. It was in his wounds, the soft skin that had broken easily after just a few kicks or punches. His lab was ruined and ripped, and his glasses- those were broken. He fortunately had quite a few pairs back at the lab, but he couldn't see anything and there was no way he was getting home.

"Hey."

Dexter didn't move. No one cared about him; when the bullies had pulled him into the bushes, none of the other kids had even pretended to notice him or his plight.

"Hey, wake up."

"I'm… not asleep," Dexter rasped bitterly, and resulting pain made him gasp and start coughing. How could a bunch of six year olds cause so much pain?

"Oh… You look like you're in pain," the voice said, and Dexter identified it as a girl's.

"Yes… It hurts," Dexter whimpered. He felt a soft hand on his skin, and he turned to see the blurry outline of what looked like a small blonde girl, although she was still taller than him.

"I'm so sorry," she said, and her voice was so sad, so filled with pain that it almost sounded like she'd been beat up.

"I deserved it," Dexter gasped, squeezing his eyes shut as tears fell. "I'm a… freak."

"You are not," the girl said fiercely.

"Then what am I?" Dexter sobbed, his Russian accent almost making the words indecipherable.

"You're a genius, and you have friends," the girl said, her voice soft. "Don't push them away."

"I don't deserve them…"

"Nonsense. Don't talk like that. One day, they're going to need you more than you need them." She sounded so sure of herself that Dexter paused, breathing shallowly.

"How do you know?" He rasped, trying so hard to ignore the million points of excruciating pain.

"Just… a feeling," she said, and he could hear a smile in her voice. "I'm going to go get Mr. Hanekoma, Dexter," she said, and her soft hand left his forehead. He almost panicked, unsure why he felt better with her there. "Shhhh," she said, and he couldn't see her anymore. "I know you won't listen, but… Don't push them away, Dexter."

"Wait," Dexter rasped. "Who are you?"

"A… Friend. In the far future," the girl said, but her voice was far away. A moment later, Dexter felt the air grow thick in silence, and he knew he was alone. He closed his eyes and cried silently.

No one was talking. The kids all refused to tell Hanekoma where Dexter was, and Sanae was losing patience.

"If no one speaks up, everyone in this class gets suspended."

"You have no proof!" one of the kids gasped, as the whole class let forth a gasp of horror.

"Oh, I have plenty enough from your silence," Hanekoma said coldly, but before he could continue a girl from second grade poked through the door. She had startlingly violet eyes, and she looked directly at Hanekoma.

"Sir, please come with me," the girl said quietly.

"I'm kind of-"

"Dexter is in a lot of pain," the girl added, and Mitch suddenly hissed from his seat.

"Who's side are you on?" He shouted.

"Not your's, you bumbling buffoon," the girl sniffed. "I can't believe you're all stupid enough to stand with that idiot. He's just going to spend his life working at some B-rated fastfood restaurant for the rest of his life." She shook her head at the gaping children. "I had more hope for this school."

"You know where Dexter is?" Sanae said, walking forward quickly.

"Yes. Mitch and his idiot baboons pulled him into the bushes at the corner near the sand area."

"You're dead!" Mitch shouted.

"Oh I would LOVE to see you try," the girl said, with so much acidity in her voice that Mitch couldn't even bring himself to respond. He just stared at her as she turned back toward Hanekoma. "Coming?"

"Yes," Sanae said without any hesitation. "If anyone leaves this class," he added in a dark undertone to the class, "I will see to it that you receive a full month's detention after three weeks of suspension."

No one moved an inch.

Sanae ran out with the girl, not even wondering for a second at how sure she seemed of herself.

"He isn't going to trust you," she was saying quietly. "He isn't going to go near anyone. He's going to push everyone away."

"What can we do?" Sanae said, feeling horribly guilty.

"Only the Professor and the Powerpuff Girls can get through to him," she said, still calmly and quietly.

"Dexter!"

Dexter gasped, ripped away from his uneasy darkness. The pain had proven to be too much, and he had passed out. He turned toward Hanekoma's voice, but his own bruised and blackened face was bitter.

"Was that… meeting imp…important?" he rasped.

"No. I should've lost my job. I should've just stayed with you. I'm an idiot Dexter, I'm an adult and I don't have nearly as much foresight as you. I'm sorry Dexter- I'm going to pick you up and call an ambulance. Do you know if anything is broken?"

"My dig…nity. And maybe my… Ribs. Lower left two. Can't really tell." Dexter was fading again, and Hanekoma gingerly reached under the small boy and lifted, horrified at the dried blood. He turned to tell the girl who'd come with him to call the ambulance, but she was gone. Not a moment later, the sound of a siren wailing around the corner sounded, and Hanekoma blinked.

There was no time. He hurriedly ran to the front entrance of the school, running through the front office. He was in luck; the principal, that ogerish woman of a secretary, and half of the people at the luncheon were present.

"Was it worth it?" Sanae snarled as he hurled past. "Was THIS was you call character building?" He let her take in the sight of Dexter's mangled body, and Sanae was dementedly pleased that she looked horrified, as well as the rest of the office's inhabitants. Sanae ran past without a second glance.

He rushed toward the ambulance, fearing the physical and mental state of Dexter and knowing full well that this was the last and only straw. He was quitting Pokey Elementary, and damned if he wasn't taking Dexter with him.


End file.
